How to Make Your Hair Grow Faster: What Works and What Doesn't

Trying to make your hair grow faster will make you try varieties of solutions, from rice water to trims, “miracle” oils, homemade hair growth treatments that smell like herbal sacrifices and shampoos that claim to speed up hair growth. Yet the inches refuse to inch.

It’s another special kind of heartbreak when you take down a protective style, stretch your hair, check the length, and it’s still looking the same as the last time.

If you’ve ever stared at your mirror and wondered why your hair isn’t behaving, you’re not alone. Everyone has a secret recipe, yet somehow the results don’t match the promises.

So let’s clear the noise. Here’s what genuinely makes hair grow faster, what does absolutely nothing, and what could even be slowing yours down.

Firstly, Here is Why Your Hair Isn’t Growing

The truth is, your hair is growing. It just may be breaking faster than it grows, but it is definitely growing.

Hair follows a natural cycle: growth, rest, and shedding. African hair doesn’t grow slower; it simply has a tighter curl pattern, which makes it more fragile and easier to snap along the bends.

So it’s not that your hair is refusing to grow. It’s that the growth is being cancelled out by breakage. Understanding this makes everything else so much clearer.

What Actually Makes Hair Grow Faster and Naturally?

1. Daily Scalp Massage

You may be wondering, how does scalp massage help hair grow faster? Here’s how.

A study found that nine men experienced an increase in hair thickness after doing a four-minute scalp massage every day for 24 days.

The gentle physical pressure on the hair follicle cells (dermal papilla cells) helped stimulate the follicles to produce thicker strands.

Try short scalp massages with lightweight oils like rosemary or peppermint, not as magic growth potions, but as circulation boosters.

2. Scalp Care

Scalp care is the not-so-secret weapon because healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. We focus so much on products and forget that the foundation matters the most.

If your scalp is covered in heavy grease, thick butters, or weeks-old products, follicles can get clogged. That slows everything down.

Keep your scalp clean. Wash your hair only 2-3 times weekly with a moisturising shampoo like the Cantu Sulfate-Free Cleansing Cream Shampoo and a deep conditioner with slip like ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner.

Overwashing also leads to hair breakage and slows growth.

3. Reducing Your Stress Level

High levels of stress or anxiety can stop hair from growing or even lead to hair loss. Prioritise good sleep and rest, and use calming practices such as yoga to manage stressful or triggering situations.

4. Moisture and Deep Conditioning

Moisturising and deep conditioning your hair are non-negotiables. Dry hair breaks. It’s that simple.
Deep condition weekly or biweekly. Use leave-in conditioners that actually moisturise, not just coat your strands. The LOC or LCO method helps hair retain moisture in our heat-heavy climate.

The LOC and LCO methods are hair care routines designed to retain moisture by applying Liquid, Oil, and Cream products in a specific order. The two methods use the same products but in a different sequence.

Lightweight leave-in African Pride Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner, oils like coconut, jojoba, olive, or rosemary, and raw, unrefined shea butter (ori) for sealing, not moisturising, are great hair products that aid hair growth.

5. Gentle Styling and Low Manipulation

The rules are simple. Avoid heat styling, be gentle during detangling and make protective hairstyles.

If your protective style is pulling your edges, it’s not protective. Opt for knotless braids, twists, cornrows, and styles that don’t drag your scalp backwards.